Today we’re headed down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to attend my FIFTH BlogPaws Conference. I can’t even believe I’ve been blogging that long! I was so fortunate that my first conference was right in my own backyard in Tysons Corner, Virginia so I made the last minute decision to attend and commuted the 30+ minutes from home.

See our recap from Year One here:
Great Finds: BlogPaws 2013 Part One
Great Finds: BlogPaws 2013 Part Two

It was one of the best decisions I have ever made! It encouraged me to grow Beagles & Bargains into what it is today and has connected me with some of the most amazing pet lovers on this planet. Plus, a huge perk of the conferences is that it has allowed me to travel all over the United States.

Ralph checks out Addiction, a pet food brand, while at BlogPaws 2016

Year Two was in Las Vegas where I had never ever been. In fact, it was my first cross country flight as I had never been to California or anywhere that far out west before. The dry desert of Vegas didn’t agree with me and my migraines but it was still an amazing trip!

Year Three was in Nashville, Tennessee where I had visited before, but I was able to road trip with Luna and my boyfriend from home in Northern Virginia. We were even able to go to the Grand Ole Opry to see a show!

Luna and Ralph get fancy for the Nose-to-Nose Awards at BlogPaws 2016

That trip was a good teaser for Year Four, which was in Phoenix, Arizona. We drove all the way there and then continued until we reached California on our truly coast to coast road trip. We saw SO MUCH on that trip that I had to break it out into several blog posts.

You can see them all here:
Road Trippin’ Beagle Goes West
Road Trippin’ Beagle Goes to PetSmart
Road Trippin’ Beagle Does BlogPaws
Road Trippin’ Beagle Does California
Road Trippin’ Beagle Goes Home

Luna met the beautiful Great Pyrenees pair (Mauja and Atka) from It's Dog or Nothing.

Last year, I also made my debut as a conference speaker where I talked about understand basic web development. It was a bit nerve wrecking, but I’m so happy to provide help for fellow bloggers and small business owners to feel like they can tackle their own tech. Or at least have a better technical conversation.

And now for Year Five, I’m a speaker again and I’m headed to Myrtle Beach. Another new place to visit! This year, my session will be on learning basic HTML & CSS because Bloggers Who Code rock!

This year it’s just me and dogs, but it’s a much shorter drive. I’m hoping we’ll get to visit the beach at some point, but we won’t have much time after the conference as I have to drive straight to my cousin’s graduation!

More perks of BlogPaws? I get to see friends and representatives from brands that live all over in REAL LIFE. The food is AMAZING. And we get SO MUCH SWAG. SO MUCH.

Tons of swag from some amazing pet brands!

I’m also very fortunate to be representing FIVE, yes five, amazing brands who have agreed to sponsor me on my trip. This year money is a bit tight. In June of 2016, I left my cushy corporate job to pursue consulting work and building my own web development education based business. So, while I am still earning an income, it’s not as much as it used to be and I’m having to work hard for every bit of it. Thankfully my amazing BlogPaws sponsors helped me cover the cost of attending!

All of these brands are truly amazing. I hand picked each one because we love and use their products on a regular basis. Do me a favor and check out their product offers or follow them on social media because they help make this all possible!

Platinum Pawrtner

Alcott Logo - BlogPaws Sponsor

Gold(en) Retriever Sponsor

Caru Logo - BlogPaws Sponsor

Silver Hound Sponsors

Simple Solution Logo - BlogPaws Sponsor
Sleepypod Logo - BlogPaws Sponsor

Bronze Barker Sponsor

P.L.A.Y. Pets Lifestyle and You Logo - BlogPaws Sponsor

HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OUR
BLOGPAWS 2017 SPONSORS!

Jessica Shipman
Share →
Top